Tormore whisky – Speyside

Tormore distillery information

The Tormore distillery was built by Long John Distillers & Co. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Seagar Evans & Co. Ltd., themselves owned by Schenley Industries Inc) in 1958, making it one of the younger distilleries in Scotland. It is located in the heart of the Speyside area about a mile away from the River Spey, and sits on the edge of Cairngorms National Park. The distillery was designed by renowned architect Sir Albert Richardson,and combines a neoclassical mixed with modern style. It was constructed from granite, featuring copper domes, and a clock that plays 4 different traditional Scottish tunes every quarter of the hour. Next to the distillery, gardens were erected. The end result is a beautiful distillery, situated in equally beautiful surroundings. The distillery takes its name from Gaelic; “Torra Mhòir”, meaning “Big hill”.

The Tormore Distillery in the Speyside

In 1972, the distillery doubled the amount of stills from four to eight, and the stills were converted to become steam-heated rather than directly fired.In 1975, Long John Distillers was absorbed by by Whitbread & Co., leading to the distillery shifting owners to Allied Distillers Ltd. Since 1984, the stills are heated using wood chips; leftovers from nearby logging. This is just one of the ways the distillery tries being more energy friendly. In 1986, the distillery was granted listed building status; quite remarkable, as it was less than 30 years old at the time. In 2005, Pernod Ricard bought Allied Domecq, who at the time owned the distillery, and transferred the distillery to their subsidiary Chivas Brothers.

There apparently is a time capsule that was buried on the site in 1960, when the distillery opened. It contains a bottle of Long John, glasses, regional information and pieces related to the different steps in the distillation process. The capsule is intended to be opened in 2060 when the distillery celebrates its centennial.

The stills at the Tormore distillery

Tormore whisky

Most of Tormore’s product finds its way into blends; particularly Long John and Ballantines.